Where to Donate Electronics
Before you toss that old computer in the trash or haul the TV to the dump, consider donating your electronics. There are a multitude of charitable organizations for whom a computer that's old to you may seem like the fastest thing in the office. A charity may also be able to raise funds off of your goods. Either way, not only do you help out the organization when you donate electronics, but you also get a nice tax write-off.
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Try the Make-A-Wish Foundation (see Resources). Make-A-Wish is seeking new computers, MP3 players and gaming consoles. The electronics are used to help children in the hospital pass the time while recovering from or receiving treatment.
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Consider donating to Komputers 4 Kids (see Resources). Active in Southern California, this charity's goal is to make technology available to children of all income levels as studies have shown that lower-income children are frequently left behind by the digital age, due to the prohibitive cost of computers and high speed connections. Komputers 4 Kids has an extensive list of electronics they'll accept that go far beyond computers; TVs, DVDs, radios, stereos and so forth.
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Check in with TechSoup (see Resources). If you're interested in donating electronics to aid needy kids, but don't live in Southern California, check out TechSoup's extensive list of recyclers who will take your electronics and either strip them for their parts (copper and so forth) or, if they're not too old, refurbish them for use. This list includes sites in the United States and Canada.
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Ask the federal government (see Resources). The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers a comprehensive list of recycling companies and organizations nationwide. This list also includes battery recycling, as some states now prohibit the dumping of used batteries--a common electronics byproduct--into landfills.
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Tips & Warnings
Remember that even if your electronics are old, the pieces from which they are composed have value. Copper in particular, used extensively in wiring and plugs, is of tremendous value to recycling companies.
Make sure you wipe your computer's hard drive prior to donation.
